Strava, the digital platform for athletes that now boasts more than 125 million users, has launched the Metro for Academic Researchers Programme.
This programme is specifically designed for college and university students, as well as academic researchers, to support projects that aim to enhance biking and pedestrian infrastructure in both urban and rural settings.
Strava Metro provides de-identified, aggregated data on bicycle and pedestrian trips, offering insights to transportation planners, advocacy groups, and researchers. By leveraging Strava Metro’s extensive data, participants can gain an in-depth understanding of travel patterns, identify infrastructure gaps, and assess the effectiveness of existing routes and facilities.
Currently, Strava Metro collaborates with more than 3,500 city planners, governmental agencies and infrastructure decision-makers worldwide, who collectively impact nearly 1 billion people. With this new initiative, Strava aims to empower academic researchers by providing them access to data and fostering innovation in human-powered transportation.
Programme details
Applications for the Metro for Academic Researchers Programme are now open and will close on October 18, 2024. Accepted participants will receive:
- One-year access to the Strava Metro platform: unlocking data to support research.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration opportunities: connect with academic researchers, transportation experts, urban planners, environmental scientists, and public health professionals.
- Support from the Strava Metro team: benefit from online training sessions and dedicated check-in meetings to support academic research projects.
- Accepted applicants will be notified in early 2025 of their selection. All applications will be reviewed by a Strava committee, which will score and award successful admissions for the 2025 class of academic researchers in the program.
Four years ago, Strava made Metro freely accessible to partner organizations dedicated to improving cycling and pedestrian experiences. Since then, the Strava Metro partner network has expanded to over 3,500 organizations globally, all leveraging insights from Strava’s community to enhance the safety, quality, and accessibility of trails and streets.
